This application relates to an electric power controller, an electric power management device, an electric power control method, and an electric power management system.
Currently, the introduction of electric storage equipment has been promoted in companies, standard homes, and the like, the electric storage equipment including a storage battery capable of subjecting electric power to charging and discharging and being capable of storing electric power obtained owing to electric power generation equipment utilizing natural energy or electric power purchased from an electric power company.
Currently, the electric power company purchases electric power exceeding electric power consumed by the holder of the electric power generation equipment and electric storage equipment, from among the electric power stored in the electric storage equipment. However, in the future when the electric power generation equipment and the electric storage equipment will further prevail, the electric power will be traded in an electricity trading market with the development of electricity deregulation. Therefore, it may be considered that the number of persons participating in the electricity trading will increase. If it is highly likely to obtain a profit owing to participating in an electric power market, it may be considered that the number of persons intending to introduce the electric power generation equipment and the electric storage equipment and participate in the electric power market will increase.
Therefore, there has been proposed an electric storage system where the fluctuation of an electric power price is predicted in accordance with an algorithm, electric power is purchased to be stored in an electric storage equipment when a low price is predicted, and electric power stored in the electric storage equipment is sold so as to obtain a profit when a high price is predicted. An example of such an electric storage system has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-233053.